Bridge



No. 6l3,40l. Patented No'v. l, I898.

m. STONEBRIDGE.

WASHING MACHINE.

(Applicatidn filed. May 14, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Fly 18/1214 WITNESSES:

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARGARET STONEBRIDGE, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 613,401, dated November 1, 1898. Application filed May 14, 1898. Serial No. 680,682. (N0 del-l To all whonc it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARGARET STONE- BRIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to washing-machines; and its object is to construct a machine which shall be simple in construction, readily applied to the washtubs in common use, and which will be highly efficient in operation.

The invention will be more fully described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the frame of the machine; Fig. 2, a front view of the machine attached to a washtub; Fig. 3, a side view showing the tub partly broken away; Fig. 4, a detail view of the roller, and Figs. 5 and 6 enlarged detail views showing the formation of the teeth and cells in the rollers.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and 2 are arms carrying the bearings for the rollers. These each comprise a strip of metal, which should possess a certain amount of resiliency, bent upon itself to form a yoke the ends of which are in turn bent to the shape of a letter S, as shown in Fig. 1. In the extreme ends of the yokes are the bearings 3 3 and 4 4 of the rollers 5 and 6. The yokes are connected with each other by a brace 7, to which is attached one or more hangers 8 and 9, provided with set-screws 10 and 11, whereby the hangers may be hooked over the edge of the tub and clamped thereto. Carried by the ends of the shafts of the rollers are the usual gear-wheels 12 and 13, meshing with each other to insure the turning of both rollers at once. Of course these are not necessary to the operation of the machine and use.

which meshes with gear-wheel 12, whereby when the crank 17 is turned the rollers will be turned. In order to keep the gear-wheels 18 and 12 in mesh, a chain or hook 19, of the proper length and having an opening for shaft 16 at one end and one for the shaft of roller 5 at the other end, may be used to hold the respective shafts the required distance apart. This arrangement will be flexible and at the same time keep the gear-wheels 18 and 12 constantly in mesh with each other.

The rollers of the device are of suitable flexible resilient material, preferably rubber, and their faces are covered with a plurality of cells and teeth. These cells are formed by forming on the roller a plurality of parallel ridges 2O 2O 20, &c., extending lengthwise of the roller and tapering from their bases. These ridges should be as high as the material of which the roller is made will permit without detracting from their strength, but at the same time leaving the upper edges of the ridges thinand exceedingly flexible. At intervals the longitudinal ridges are joined by cross-ridges 21 21 21, &c., of substantially the same height and cross-section as the longitudinal ridges, thus forming a plurality of cups or cells all over the face of the rollers.

It will be seen that the machine above de scribed may be hung upon the side of the tub instantly and by means of the set-screws 10 and 11 firmly clamped in place. The crank= bearing, crank, &c., are then clamped in position, the gear-wheel 18 meshing with the gear-wheel 12, and the machine is ready for The machine is particularly applicable for use in connection with the stationary washtubs common in modern houses.

In the operation of the device the clothes are passed between the rollers in the same manner as with all such machines. As the lower roller revolves the cells will fill with water and carry the latter up to the fabric. If the fabric be light, the thin ridges orteeth of the rollers will not tear it, but will yield and will gently knead the fabric between the two rollers, the water of the lower roller being meanwhile discharged and rubbed against the fabric. If the fabric be heavy, it will simply press down the ridges of the rollers sufficiently to allow it to pass, and at the same time the water will be thrown against The flexibility of the machine is greatly increased by the use of the flexible arms in which the rollers are mounted, and consequently a fabric which would have difficulty in passing between the rollers under ordinary circumstances will go through easily. To convert the machine into a wringer, the bearings may be brought close to each other and fastened by a chain 22 or otherwise. Instead of fastening the bearings direct, however, I prefer to fasten the arms, leaving the S portion of the arms free and therefore leaving some spring to the machine.

It will be found that with the use of the above-described machine the lightest and most delicate fabrics may be washed without danger of tearing or mutilating.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a washing-machine, the combination of a frame, comprising two yokes of flexible material, said yokes having their ends bent S-shaped, a brace connecting said yokes, one or more hangers attached to said brace, two rollers mounted in the free ends of said yokes, said rollers having flexible surfaces, a gearwheel on one of said rollers, an independent bearing adapted to be clamped to a tub, and a gear-wheel adapted to mesh with said firstnamed roller carried by a shaft in said bearing, substantially as described.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination of a frame, comprising two yokes of flexible material, said yokes having their ends bent S-shaped, a brace connecting said yokes, one or more hangers attached to said brace, two rollers mounted in the free ends of said yokes, said rollers having a plurality of cells upon the surface thereof, said cells being formed by parallel tapering ridges of flexible material running longitudinally on said roller and cross-ridges of similar material and shape joining said longitudinal ridges, a gear-wheel on one of said rollers, an independent bearing adapted to be clamped to a tub, and a gear- Wheel adapted to mesh with said first-named roller carried by a shaft in said bearing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARGARET STONEBRIDGE.

\Vitnesses:

C. V. EDWARDS, GEO. W. HEss. 

